Glenn Dyer's TV ratings: Nine revives CSI

With the Test cricket starting Friday, Nine moves into a quasi summer schedule from now on. For example, it returns the dying CSI to Thursday nights this week with double episodes.

The Glenn Dyer breakdown: A close night as Big Brother‘s third last show boosted Nine (especially in Melbourne) to offset the performance episode of The X Factor. Big Brother had to see an audience lift in its final week. Last night was better than on Sunday, and it now depends on how much of an increase happens tonight and tomorrow. The X Factor was the most watched program (again) with more than 1.3 million (down around 100,000 from a week ago) metro viewers and just over 2 million national viewers.

The Big Brother evictions last night had more than 1.1 million metro and over 1.45 million national viewers from 8pm. It was the fifth most watched program nationally. The normal Big Brother at 7pm averaged 1.036 million viewers, but wasn’t coded separately for regional markets. It was the sixth most watched program in metro markets and probably would had a similar finish nationally.

Seven was again a winner in regional markets, but it was weak in Melbourne. In fact a stronger performance in Melbourne might have seen it come close to topping Nine in the main channels. Not only were Seven News and Today Tonight weak, but The X Factor (271,000) was easily beaten in Melbourne by the Big Brother normal program (308,000) and the live evictions with 346,000. The X Factor averaged 418,000 in Sydney to be easily the most watched program last night in any market. Nine won Melbourne by nearly six share points in the main channels. Strong performances by GO and Gem saw the overall winning margin rose to nine share points, which was a crushing win in view of the results elsewhere.

In betting parlance, Seven has drifted lower in the audience numbers on Sunday and Monday nights, allowing Nine to get closer and in fact edge in front ahead of the final of Big Brother tomorrow night. With the Test cricket starting Friday, Nine moves into a quasi summer schedule from now on. For example, it returns the dying CSI to Thursday nights this week with double episodes. Years ago it used to hold up the winter ratings schedule along with its clones, CSI: New York and CSI: Miami.

Four Corners‘ second report on the live animal trade had half the audience (515,000 metro viewers and 820,000 nationally) of the first one from last year (more than a million). Australian Story had more than 900,000 metro and nearly 1.4 million national viewers with another solid report, this time on the puzzling last years of actress Diane Cilento, whose life Australian Story examined in 2004.

Over in the UK, the finale episode of Downton Abbey on Sunday night produced a season topping 10.7 million viewers, the highest rating of season three. The average for the season was 9.7 million, the best so far and topping season’s one and two. ITV has not yet confirmed whether a fourth series of Downton has been commissioned and a special episode will be broadcast at Christmas in the UK (and be tacked onto the end of the series when Seven shows it here in 2013, as it did with season two this year).

Tonight: Winners & Losers, shortly at the Reserve Bank board meeting, then a certain horse race, on Seven, half an hour later, and again on Seven tonight after The X Factor results episode from 7.30pm. A certain election, mostly all Wednesday, but warm up tonight on Foreign Correspondent, for an hour, then a UK special on President Obama. Both are on ABC1. Big Brother on Nine. Ten has a fresh NCIS. SBS has Insight and Dateline which are the final programs for this year.

The top 10 national programs (metro & regional combined):

The X Factor (Seven) — 2.029 million.
Seven News (6pm) — 1.765 million.
Nine News (6pm) — 1.648 million.
ABC1 News (7pm) — 1.512 million.
Big Brother (Nine) — 1.452 million.
Home and Away (Seven) — 1.432 million.
Australian Story (ABC1) — 1.396 million.
Today Tonight (Seven) — 1.317 million.
7.30 (ABC1) — 1.316 million.
Castle (Seven) — 1.271 million.

The Metro Winners:

The X Factor (Seven, 7.30pm) — 1.301 million.
Seven News (6pm) — 1.195 million.
Nine News (6pm) — 1.150 million.
Big Brother (8pm) — 1.134 million.
Today Tonight (Seven, 6.30pm) — 1.056 million.
Big Brother (Nine, 7pm) — 1.036 million.

The Losers: Scandal on Seven around 9.45pm, 312,000 metro and 504,000 national viewers. Hawaii Five O on Ten at 9.30pm, just as weak, 362,000 metro and 472,000 national viewers. ABC1’s Q&A easily won the timeslot with well over 650,000 viewers on ABC1 and News 24 in metro markets and over 980,000 nationally. Nine’s Person of Interest averaged 484,000 metro at 9.30pm and nationally it had 725,000 viewers.

Metro News & CA: Nine News won Sydney and Melbourne (by 122,000), Seven won the rest with the winning margin in Perth, 127,000 viewers. A Current Affair won Melbourne and Brisbane. Today Tonight won Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Seven News (6pm) — 1.195 million.
Nine News (6pm) — 1.150 million.
Today Tonight (Seven, 6.30pm) — 1.056 million.
ABC1 News (7pm) — 988,000.
A Current Affair (Nine, 6.30pm) — 988,000.
Australian Story (ABC1, 8pm) — 921,000.
7.30 (ABC1, 7.30pm) — 839,000.
Ten News (5pm) — 677,000.
The Project (Ten, 6.30pm) — 598,000.
Q&A (ABC1, 9.35pm) — 569,000 + 88.000 on News 24.
Media Watch (ABC1, 9.20pm) — 525,000.
Four Corners (ABC1, 8.30pm) — 515,000.
The Project (Ten, 6pm) — 419,000.
Lateline (ABC1, 10.35pm) — 280,000.
Ten Late News (10.30pm) — 205,000.
SBS News (6.30pm) — 150,000.
The Business (ABC1, 11.10pm) — 140,000.
SBS Late News (10.30pm) — 43,000.
The Drum (News 24, 6pm) — 42,000.

In the morning:

Sunrise (Seven, 7am) — 331,000.
Today (Nine, 7am) — 325,000.
The Morning Show (Seven, 9am) — 164,000.
Mornings (Nine, 9am) — 151,000.
News Breakfast (ABC1, 7am) –45,000 + 31,000 on News 24.
Breakfast (Ten, 7am) — 37,000.

Metro FTA: Nine (three channels) won with a share of 30.1% from Seven (three) on 28.2%, the ABC (four) was on 19.7%, Ten (three) was on 18.1% and SBS (two) ended on 3.9%. Nine leads the week with 29.9% from Seven on 28.85, Ten on 18.6% and the ABC on 18.2%. Main Channels: Nine and Seven tied on 20.9% each. ABC1 was next with 14.3%, with Ten on 12.6% and SBS ONE on 3.3%. Nine leads the week with 21.9% from Seven on 21.4%, ABC 1 on 13.8% and Ten on 13.0%.

Metro Digital: GO won with 4.8% from Gem on 4.3%, as was 7TWO. Eleven was on 3.3%, 7mate and ABC2 ended on 3.0%, ONE was on 2.2%, ABC3, 1.3%, News 24, 1.1% and SBS TWO, ended on 0.6%. The 10 digital channels had an FTA share last night of 27.9%. GO leads the week with 4.8%, from 7TWO on 4.2% and 7mate and Gem on 3.2% each.

Metro including Pay TV: Nine (three channels) won with a share of 24.9% from Seven (three) on 23.3%, the ABC (four) was on 16.3%, Ten (three) was on 15.0% and SBS (two) ended on 3.3%. The 15 FTA channels share of viewing last night was 84.8%. The 10 digital channels share was 23.2%, the five main channels’ share was 61.6%. The 200 plus channels on Foxtel gave Pay TV a viewing share last night of 15.2%.

The top five pay TV channels were:

Fox8 — 2.8%.
TV1 — 2.2%.
LifeStyle — 2.1%
UKTV — 2.0%.
A&E — 1.9%.

The five most-watched programs on pay TV were:

New Tricks (UKTV) — 71,000.
A League: Melb. v. Wellington (Fox Sports 1) — 66,000.
Futurama (Fox8) — 63,000.
Coronation Street (UKTV) –62,000.
Family Guy (Fox8) — 61,000.

Regional: Prime/7Qld (three channels) won with a share of 30.1% from WIN/NBN (three) on 28.2%, the ABC (four) was on 19.7%, SC Ten (three) was on 18.1% and SBS (two) ended on 3.9%.

The five most-watched programs in regional markets were:

The X Factor — 729,000.
Seven News — 570,000.
ABC1 News — 523,000.
Nine News — 498,000.
Australian Story — 476,000.

Major Metro Markets: Another mixed night with Nine winning (overall and the main channels) in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven won both in Adelaide and Perth. Seven was second in Sydney and Melbourne and the ABC/ABC1 were third. In Brisbane it was Seven second and Ten third. In Adelaide it was Nine second and ABC/ABC1 third. In Perth it was the ABC/ABC1 second and Nine a weak third and Ten even weaker. GO win the digitals in Sydney and Brisbane. Meanwhile, 7TWO won Adelaide and Perth. Nine leads the week in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Seven leads in Adelaide and Perth. Ten is third in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. The ABC is third in Perth.

(All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People)

Source: Oztam, TV Networks data